Ice balls or Ais Kepal, as Penangites call it, is a treat from days of old. It was made popular in the 70s but has been around much earlier.
What it is, is a bowl of ice shavings patted into a ball, slathered with syrup for taste. Very easy to make and so satisfying in humid weather.
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Ice ball seller pouring the syrup on.
Check out the ice shaving machine. |
I had my first taste a couple of months ago when I was in Penang for a holiday. Check out my mango flavoured ice ball. To eat, suck or bite into the ice (
obviously). They've included a wooden skewer, I think, for dainty eaters.
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| Mango Flavoured Ice Ball |
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| Crunch..crunch! |
Today, shaved ice is a more complex dessert with tons of topping
varieties ranging from ice cream, nuts, fruit, jellies to whatever one
fancies. But simplicity works best when the day is too hot to make much of an effort.
